Custom Context Entries

Custom Context Entries are free-form notes you add to give AI information that doesn't fit in structured Business Profile fields. Use them for temporary situations, unique constraints, strategic priorities, or anything AI should know that isn't captured elsewhere. This guide shows you how to use custom context effectively.

What You'll Learn

Time needed: 8 minutes to read

What Are Custom Context Entries?

Definition: Free-text notes (title + description) that provide AI with additional business context not captured in structured Business Profile fields

Format:

Title: Short summary (5-10 words)
Note: Detailed explanation (1-3 paragraphs)

Purpose:

[Screenshot: Custom Context Entry form] Simple title + note format for any context

When to Use Custom Context

Use custom context when:

✅ Temporary situations:

Example: "Website redesign Oct 15-30 - pause conversion alerts"

✅ Unique business constraints:

Example: "Client can only handle 40 leads/month due to capacity"

✅ Strategic preferences:

Example: "Client prefers manual bidding for control - no automation suggestions"

✅ Past attempts and failures:

Example: "Tried Display campaigns Q1 2024 - 12% ROAS, don't suggest again"

✅ Client communication preferences:

Example: "Client checks account daily - explanations should be simple, non-technical"

✅ Seasonal considerations:

Example: "Budget triples Nov-Dec for holiday season - plan expansion now"

Don't use custom context for:

❌ Data that belongs in Business Profile:

Bad: Custom note about target CPA
Good: Fill out Target CPA field in Business Profile

❌ Information AI already has:

Bad: "Campaign performance declining"
Good: AI already sees performance data

❌ Frequently changing data:

Bad: "This week's budget is $800"
Good: Use structured budget fields

❌ Instructions for yourself:

Bad: "Remember to check this Friday"
Good: Use external task manager

Creating Custom Context Entries

How to Add Context

Steps:

  1. Go to Client Details → Context Tab
  2. Click "Add Custom Context Entry"
  3. Fill out form:
    • Title: Short summary
    • Note: Detailed explanation
  4. Click Save

Visibility: AI sees all custom context entries in every conversation

Writing Effective Context

Good title format:

✅ "Website Redesign Timeline"
✅ "Preferred Bidding Strategy"
✅ "Q4 Budget Increase"
✅ "Geographic Expansion Plan"

Bad title format:

❌ "Note 1"
❌ "Important"
❌ "Read this"
❌ "Context"

Good note format:

Example:

Title: "Seasonal Budget Strategy"

Note: "Client triples budget to $15K/month during Nov-Dec
for holiday shopping season (normal budget is $5K/month).
Any expansion recommendations between Aug-Oct should account
for this planned Q4 scale-up. Don't suggest major structural
changes in Oct that won't work at 3x scale."

Common Use Cases & Examples

Use Case 1: Temporary Technical Issues

Scenario: Website under construction, conversions will be weird

Custom Context:

Title: "Website Migration in Progress"

Note: "Client is migrating to new e-commerce platform Oct 10-20.
Conversion tracking will be unstable during this period. If zero
conversions are detected Oct 10-20, this is expected and not a
tracking failure. Resume normal conversion monitoring after Oct 21.
Expect 3-5 days for tracking to stabilize post-migration."

AI will:

Use Case 2: Strategic Constraints

Scenario: Client has strong preference against certain strategies

Custom Context:

Title: "Manual Bidding Preference"

Note: "Client is former Google Ads expert and strongly prefers
manual bidding for full control. Has tried Target CPA twice
(2022, 2023) and was unhappy with results both times. Do not
recommend automated bidding strategies. Focus optimization
recommendations on bid adjustments, Quality Score, and keyword
management within manual CPC framework."

AI will:

Use Case 3: Capacity Limitations

Scenario: Business can't handle unlimited leads

Custom Context:

Title: "Lead Capacity Limit"

Note: "Client's sales team can only handle 60 qualified leads
per month (current staffing of 2 salespeople). Exceeding this
leads to poor follow-up and wasted leads. If campaigns are
generating >60 leads/month, recommend reducing spend or
increasing lead quality filters, not scaling up. Client plans
to hire 3rd salesperson in Q1 2026, at which point capacity
increases to ~90 leads/month."

AI will:

Use Case 4: Past Failed Experiments

Scenario: Tried something, didn't work, don't want to repeat

Custom Context:

Title: "Display Campaign History"

Note: "Tested Display campaigns extensively Q4 2024 with $2,800
total spend across 3 different approaches: standard Display,
responsive Display ads, and image ads. Best result was 1.8 ROAS
(vs 4.2 on Search). Client decided Display doesn't work for this
B2B service business model. Do not suggest Display campaigns
unless client's business model changes significantly. YouTube
pre-roll was also tested (2.1 ROAS) - similar conclusion."

AI will:

Use Case 5: Geographic Strategy

Scenario: Specific geographic priorities

Custom Context:

Title: "Geographic Expansion Roadmap"

Note: "Currently serving Texas only. Expansion plan: Add Oklahoma
and Louisiana in Q1 2026, then Arkansas and New Mexico in Q2 2026.
Do not recommend geographic expansion before Q1 2026 - client
needs to hire regional sales reps first. When Q1 2026 approaches,
proactively suggest Oklahoma and Louisiana campaign setup. Client
is NOT interested in Midwest or East Coast expansion."

AI will:

Use Case 6: Seasonal Business Patterns

Scenario: Business has strong seasonality

Custom Context:

Title: "Tax Season Demand Pattern"

Note: "Client is tax preparation service with extreme seasonality.
Jan-April: 85% of annual revenue, high demand, budget is $12K/mo.
May-Dec: Low demand, budget drops to $2K/mo for brand maintenance.
During off-season, recommendations should focus on brand awareness
and efficiency, not growth or expansion. Ramp-up planning should
begin in October for upcoming tax season."

AI will:

Use Case 7: Client Communication Style

Scenario: Client has specific preferences for reports/communication

Custom Context:

Title: "Client Communication Preferences"

Note: "Client is non-technical small business owner who gets
overwhelmed by jargon. Keep all explanations simple and focused
on business impact (revenue, costs, customers) rather than metrics
(CTR, Quality Score, impression share). Client checks account 2-3
times per week and asks many questions, so responses should be
concise and action-oriented. Prefers phone calls over email for
anything urgent."

AI will:

Use Case 8: Competitive Intelligence

Scenario: Specific competitor information that affects strategy

Custom Context:

Title: "Competitor Tracking"

Note: "Main competitor (ABC Plumbing) launched aggressive Google
Ads campaign in July 2025 with 2-3x our budget. They're bidding
on our brand terms. Our strategy: Defend brand terms at top
position (don't let budget limit brand impression share), but
don't get into bidding war on generic terms where they outspend
us 3:1. Focus our budget on long-tail service-specific keywords
where we can compete effectively."

AI will:

Organizing Custom Context

Best Practices

One entry per topic:

✅ Good: 5 entries for 5 distinct topics
❌ Bad: 1 entry covering 5 unrelated topics

Clear, searchable titles:

✅ "Q4 Holiday Budget Increase"
✅ "Website Redesign Oct 2025"
❌ "Important note about client"
❌ "Remember this"

Keep entries current:

Old entry: "Website redesign Oct 10-20" (it's now November)
Action: Delete outdated entry

Date temporary entries:

✅ "Website Redesign Oct 10-20, 2025"
(Clearly temporary, easy to identify for deletion)

When to Delete Context

Delete when:

Review quarterly:

Custom Context vs Business Profile

Use Business Profile for:

Use Custom Context for:

Example:

Business Profile:

Target CPA: $65
Monthly Budget: $8,500
Business Type: B2B Lead Generation

Custom Context:

Title: "Lead Quality Issues Q3 2025"

Note: "Experienced lead quality drop in Q3 when CPA went below
$55. Leads below $55 CPA tend to be tire-kickers without budget.
Optimal CPA range is $60-70 for qualified leads. Don't push
CPA below $55 even if technically possible."

Together: AI knows target is $65 (from profile) and why pushing lower than $55 is bad (from custom context)

Advanced: Context for Team Collaboration

Documenting Decisions

Use custom context to preserve "why":

Title: "Why We Don't Use Broad Match"

Note: "Tested broad match keywords extensively in Q2 2024 with
$1,200 spend across 3 campaigns. Search term report showed
85% irrelevant queries despite negative keyword list of 200+
terms. Wasted ~$1,000 before reverting to phrase and exact.
Broad match doesn't work for our niche B2B service. Stick with
phrase and exact only."

Benefit: New team members understand decisions without repeating experiments

Onboarding New Team Members

Custom context serves as runbook:

1. Read Business Profile (what/who/goals)
2. Read all Custom Context (why/constraints)
3. Ask AI Chat for summary
4. You're 80% onboarded

Saves: Hours of knowledge transfer

Tips & Best Practices

Be Specific with Dates

Vague: "Recent experiment failed" Specific: "Tried Shopping campaigns Oct 2024 - ROAS 1.9 (vs target 4.5)"

Why: Specific dates help decide when to revisit

Explain the "Why"

What: "Don't suggest Display" Why: "Display tested Q4 2024, best result 1.8 ROAS vs 4.2 on Search"

Why it matters: AI understands reasoning, can adapt if circumstances change

Update When Situations Change

Old entry:

"Client can't afford >$5K/month budget"

6 months later, client grows:

Update entry:
"Budget increased to $8K/month as of March 2026. Client open
to further increases if ROAS maintains 4.5+."

Use for Experiments

Track current tests:

Title: "Call-Only Ads Test (Oct 2025)"

Note: "Testing call-only ads in separate campaign with $500/month
budget. Test runs Oct 1-31. Success criteria: <$60 CPA for phone
calls, minimum 30 calls. If successful, expand to $1,500/mo in
Nov. If unsuccessful, pause and reallocate to search."

AI can:

Common Questions

Q: How many custom context entries should I have? A: Typically 2-6 per client. If you have 15+, some are probably outdated.

Q: Can I edit context entries after creating them? A: Yes. Edit or delete anytime from Context tab.

Q: Does AI remember deleted context? A: No. Once deleted, AI no longer sees it.

Q: Should I document every optimization I make? A: No. AI tracks optimizations via alert accept/decline. Use custom context for unique situations only.

Q: Can I export custom context? A: Yes, as part of client data export.

Q: What if custom context conflicts with Business Profile? A: Custom context takes precedence (it's more specific). But ideally, keep them aligned.

Troubleshooting

Problem: AI ignores custom context

Diagnostics:

  1. Verify context entry was saved
  2. Check if AI can see it (ask "What custom context do you have?")
  3. Ensure context is clear and specific

Common causes:

Solution: Rewrite for clarity, put key points in first sentence

Problem: Too much context, AI overwhelmed

Symptom: AI responses become generic or miss key points

Cause: 10+ context entries creating noise

Solution:

  1. Delete outdated entries
  2. Consolidate related entries
  3. Keep only essential 3-5 entries

Problem: Context becoming outdated

Symptom: Entries from 2+ years ago still listed

Solution:

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Agency Managing Multiple Clients

Title: "Reporting Schedule"

Note: "This client receives detailed monthly reports by email
(sent 3rd business day of month) plus brief weekly check-ins
every Monday at 10 AM CT via phone. Client prefers proactive
communication about issues - call immediately if CPA exceeds
$80 or budget exhausts early. Do not wait for scheduled check-in
to raise urgent issues."

Example 2: Startup with Changing Strategy

Title: "Product Pivot Q4 2025"

Note: "Client is pivoting from B2C direct sales to B2B SaaS model
effective November 1, 2025. Current campaigns (Shopping, Display)
will be paused Oct 31. New Search campaigns launching Nov 1
targeting enterprise decision-makers. Do not suggest optimizations
for current B2C campaigns after Oct 15 - focus is on new B2B
strategy planning."

Example 3: Client with Strong Opinions

Title: "Client Preferences and History"

Note: "Client is very data-driven and questions all recommendations.
Always provide specific numbers, comparisons, and expected outcomes.
Client previously worked with another agency (2022-2024) that
promised 'guaranteed ROI' and underdelivered - now skeptical of
overpromising. Underpromise and overdeliver. Client appreciates
transparency about risks and limitations."

Next Steps

Master AI context with these guides:

Add your first custom context entry for any unique client situation

Review quarterly to keep context current and relevant

Use strategically - quality over quantity

Last Updated: October 4, 2025